Rare Cheetahs in India Are Dying, But Why?

At present, eight cheetahs, three of them being newly born cubs, have died.

Tragic Cheetah Deaths

Just last week, two cheetahs, which were part of the group of 20 big cats brought to India last year, died. The preceding cases have been alarming as well.

CNN reports that in March, Sasha, a Namibian cheetah, died due to a kidney condition. The month after, Uday, a South African cheetah, passed away because of cardiac failure. After a few weeks, Daksha, another South African cheetah, also died after having a violent encounter in an attempt to mate with male cheetahs.

In May, three out of four baby cubs died in just a week because of weakness, dehydration, and heat. The fourth surviving cub was rescued and brought to a local hospital.

Why Did These Cheetahs Die?

The incidences of cheetah deaths have led many to wonder why this has been happening. The BBC explains that some deaths have been due to inevitable reasons, such as mating injuries or stress-caused cardiac failure.

Several veterinary doctors and wildlife specialists have mentioned to the BBC that the two recent deaths were due to maggot attacks that came after skin infections. They also explain that one reason behind their deaths could be the radio collars that the creatures supposedly wear for their protection.

Such propositions have been strongly rejected by the forests and environment ministry. As such, they explained in an official statement that these cheetahs had died because of natural causes, adding that reports that blamed the radio collars lacked scientific proof and were speculative in nature.

However, according to wildlife specialists, these kinds of injuries are not rare for other cheetahs, especially during the humid rainy season of India.

Alok Kumar, the former chief conservator of Madhya Pradesh forests, explains that while there could be several reasons behind cheetah deaths, radio collars could play a role in this as well. Mr. Kumar explains that such collars have chips that relay data pertaining to the wearer. This information is transmitted through satellites and is crucial to monitoring the creature's movement in order for it to stay safe and protected. He also adds that he has observed collar-caused infections even among tigers.

Veteran conservationist Yadvendradev Jhala also explains that the wounds could be due to the animal scratching the collar region due to humidity. He adds that these creatures have extremely heavy underfur, which is the hair under the neck. This fur absorbs significant moisture during damp weather conditions. Because of this, it tends to get itchy and tender.

He adds that when the creature scratches and the skin ends up breaking, flies could lay eggs and an infestation of maggots could take place. This then leads to the invasion of bacteria and septicemia. It could eventually lead to the creature's death.

The situation can only be handled if the other remaining cheetahs are examined to see if lesions are present, Mr. Jhala further notes. If these lesions are indeed spotted, the cheetahs should be treated. The collars also cannot be worn by the creatures until they are healed, entailing the need to station the animals back inside protective enclosures.

India's Plan To Reintroduce Extinct Cheetahs

In 1952, cheetahs were declared extinct in India. However, the species was reintroduced to the country just last year as part of the global relocation efforts of a huge carnivore. These big cats are kept in the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

According to the action plan, a 50% mortality rate was expected during the project's first year.

Mr. Jhala adds that it is expected that cheetah deaths will be due to poaching and snaring, vehicular accidents, and leopard conflicts.

He notes that it may take five years to a decade for the creatures to settle on the subcontinent, adding that lessons regarding the management and protection of the creatures are being taken each day.

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